Who controls TikTok? ByteDance unable to allay fears in the West over Chinese state influence and data access

TikTok, the most successful Chinese app outside the country where it was founded, has been unable to allay concerns from the US and its allies about access to user data owing to an ambiguous corporate structure that suggests at least some top decisions are still being handled in Beijing.

The development of TikTok remains under the influence, directly and indirectly, of multiple people and governments across several countries, according to interviews with multiple employees and analysts by the South China Morning Post. As a result, one of the most widely used apps in the world, with more than 1 billion users, has become caught up in a complicated web of technology, money and power as its corporate parent seeks to maintain ownership of its prized jewel.

As Washington tries to sever TikTok’s connections to China, where its owner ByteDance is based, the app is drifting into uncharted waters and its future remains murky. Two years after a failed attempt by former US president Donald Trump to force ByteDance to sell the app to American investors, the administration of President Joe Biden is working on a modified plan to address what it perceives as national security threats from the app.

“The current discussions appear to be a continuation of what we saw during the Trump administration, although the fact that European countries are also expressing concern now is a newer development”, said Emily Weinstein, research fellow at Georgetown University’s Centre for Security and Emerging Technology.

Scrutiny is rising in other countries, as well. In one extreme example, India blocked TikTok from operating in the country along with many other Chinese apps after a 2020 border clash between the two countries, illustrating the high stakes for ByteDance.

Concerns about TikTok have also been raised in Australia, the European Union and the UK.